Xinhua's April 4 Asia-Pacific roundup reported Vietnam's 7.83% first-quarter GDP growth, Sri Lanka's plan to digitize services at 21 cooperative-owned hospitals, flooding in Indonesia's Central Java that displaced about 3,000 people, and a Bangladesh factory fire that killed at least five.
Xinhua's Asia-Pacific roundup on April 4 highlighted a mix of economic data, public-health planning and disaster updates across the region.
Vietnam reported the strongest quarter-one growth in years. The country's National Statistics Office said gross domestic product rose 7.83% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, the highest first-quarter increase in 16 years. Xinhua said agriculture, forestry and fisheries expanded 3.58%, while industry and construction grew 8.92% and services rose 8.18%.
Sri Lanka also moved ahead with a digital health push. According to a Department of Government Information statement cited by Xinhua, the government will promote digital medical services in 21 cooperative-owned hospitals as part of a broader modernization effort. The statement said the government has allocated about 30 billion rupees for a wider 2026 digitization drive.
In Indonesia, flooding in Demak regency, Central Java, forced around 3,000 residents to evacuate and left one person missing, Xinhua reported. The flooding was linked to heavy rain in upstream areas that caused embankments in Dukuh Solowere and Dukuh Selodoko to collapse.
The roundup also carried a fatal industrial fire from Bangladesh. A gas lighter factory fire in Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, killed at least five people, according to Xinhua. Associated Press separately reported that firefighters recovered five bodies and said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Xinhua published the roundup as a snapshot of developments across Asia-Pacific, with each item reflecting a separate and fast-moving local story reported on April 4.
Revision note
Initial automated publication.